Holy Christ!
Easter 2
April 23, 2006
Mark 5:1-20
Miracle stories are difficult. I imagine we have all wanted a miracle and been disappointed more than once. We ask for a miracle and then we say things like, “Well it must not have been God's time…God must not have wanted me yet!” And, when things go the wrong way we even sometimes say things like, if we had made different choices? If we were better people this horrible thing would not have happened. But, these are old tapes of literal interpretations of miracle stories. These bad things don't happen to good people is an old theological construct coming from the belief that all are created sinful and bad since Adam and Eve screwed it up in the garden. But, if we are going to own Jesus the Christ, if we are going to live this witness that challenged the commandments with the greater good, “To love yourself as God loves you and love your neighbor as yourself.” If we are going to embrace this faith journey of following in the footsteps of this radically inclusive witness we must let go of literal miracle stories that only happen to those who are in God's favor. We must proclaim that these miracle stories are as much metaphor as the rest of these Scriptures and we must use the same critical historical method to explore them as we do with the rest of the document.
Let's dive into this miracle story! There was this guy living among the tombs. He was living among the tombs. He came from the realm of the dead…His living is so brutal that it has sucked the life from him and the only place he fits, is in-between the remains of the dead. Can you feel this place? This job that seemed like it would be good and solid but has compromised who you are so much you've lost your true self and you can't remember why you took this job to begin with. Or how about the retirement plans that have set such a high expectation you're locked into living into the future and you're missing living today? We have experience or have viewed this living among the dead, living among the tombs in family systems, addictions, abuse, work and grief. We have experienced how sometimes we choose to participate in something that we allow to become so much bigger than ourselves we only survive to feed the other.
This man is living among the tombs and no one can restrain him anymore. This means that people love this man. This means that people consider this man part of their community, part of their family. They've tried to intervene in such enormous ways that they attempt to restrain him. To hold him back, to curb his behavior, to keep him under control…they've cared enough to confront this death dealing in his life. They've cared enough to attempt to intervene in the life taking behavior. They did the best they could with the tools they had including shackling and chaining him.
And they did this often. They often times had to intervene. And, in spite of their failure to intervene and help him to imagine living, they still loved him. They still loved this man who was living among the tombs. They didn't blame him. Instead they felt their community had a short coming that couldn't be fixed for their failure to be with him, to meet him where he was, to help him thrive. They still considered him a part of their community in spite of their inability to hear, see, vision one another.
But no one had the strength to subdue him. This is a curious phrase to me. Who wants to be subdued. It implies overpowered…you need strength to overpower someone. And yet, sitting with Chuck the last few days I was clear and am clear that I want him subdued as much as possible. I don't want him to be traumatized any more than he already has been. I know those of you who have helped sit with him feel the same way, we just want him to stop hurting, we just want to take away his pain. And that requires having the strength to subdue him. It does take a power to help people see how their lives are hurting their living. It does take a power to look at our choices and see how they may be killing us. And, it does take strength to choose something different subduing this death and resurrecting new life. How the community ached for this man to be subdued that he might be able to come home, away from that death, hurting no more; just as we ache for Chuck to be subdued that he might heal quickly and be back with us soon.
Night and day this man wandered among the tombs howling and bruising himself. We've pretended not to see how our friends, family and community members are howling and bruising themselves. It takes great strength to name the things that harm. When we begin to name the death dealing things in our lives, all of a sudden they become real and we might have to tell the truth…We might have to change. What will it require…what kind of work, what steps do we need to take to end our howling and heal our bruises?
This man sees Jesus from a distance, runs to him, throws himself on the ground and begins to worship Jesus. This is different from the other miracle stories. The man was healed in that moment. The man was choosing to try this new path, to honor something besides death, to speak beyond the tomb and begin with something greater than he. And he charges God solemnly under penalty to keep his oath to not torment him. This is that rub of ancient thinking right here. This old thinking that this man was possessed by evil and couldn't get right until he was right with God, “If he'd just turn his life over; if he'd just sign this tract. If God would save him, he'd be good, and his life would be better. If God wouldn't save him, this just means that he's a bad apple and that's why this is happening in the first place to punish him!” Poppycock Jesus says! This spirit in you has already changed. Who are you?
This is where the metaphor takes another level on! Legion he said, for we are many. Many say that this is the miracle that mental illness is acceptable in God's sight. But, I think that's cheap theology. For if you follow it through it says that mental illness is only life giving when you're in your right mind and sitting next to Jesus. I think that's irresponsible translation of the Scripture. Another interesting truth of the word Legion is that it's a Roman word used to describe a small army of 3,000 to 6,000 soldiers. Mark is writing this down after the death of Jesus and after the experience of the living word continuing after the death of Jesus metaphorically expressed as Christ. Isn't this interesting that this man is called Legion, a military descriptor. That Jesus is involved in casting out the Legion, the Roman army into a herd of pigs. That even though they might be 6,000 this one man, out of compassion for those who lived among the tombs would be enough to change their perception of reality and help them make a way out of the wilderness! This means if your wilderness is Mental Illness Christ is with you, wandering in the tomb or sitting at the feet of Jesus, you are not alone and no one no matter how big, how mighty, how forceful can take that from you.
So Jesus casts out the demons into the swine. This wasn't to have PETA show up and picket. It's the metaphor again! The location of this entire story is Gerasa, it's a land of Gentiles . Pigs were dirty animals according to the old law. Gentiles were dirty animals according to the old law. Jesus comes into this place and defiles himself by hanging with a man who is hanging around the dead. Then, he casts the evil into the pigs and they are forced to drown in the sea. The sea that Jesus already proved in an earlier story prior to this that he can command. And through his commandment he claims the water as holy. These animals are metaphorically made clean through this baptism in God's water. This new commandment is for all of God's creatures, there are no people, no beings to be left out of this radical acceptance.
And the first to communicate the story to the others are the swine herders…more dirty people. And, they bring the town to see this powerful man and the town is afraid. They see how their friend, their brother has come to be himself and they ask Jesus to leave their neighborhood. Sometimes miracles bring out the worst in us. Sometimes when we get what we pray for we just can't accept the power of this new opportunity. And that old powerful tool of fear makes us repel what can't be explained, makes us want to shut that story up. There are many we don't want in our neighborhoods for these same reasons today…their class, race, sexual orientation, cultural background, size of family and more. We commonly practice this suburban mindset of stranger danger and suspicion of answered prayers.
And Jesus responds unlike most of the other stories in Mark that the man should run off and tell the story to all that will listen, to go back to those who love him. Jesus, instead of saying, don't tell anyone, tells this man to go off and tell his story. These gentiles, this guy lost within some hell, they are all capable, possible carriers of the gospel: just as we are all capable possible carriers of the gospel. What is it you are going to do with this miracle…will you hold it in fear, will it keep you from change or will you allow this incredible miracle, the miracle that you can tell your story. The miracle that Christ can be with you wherever you are, however you are, whatever's going on where you are…you can tell that story to all the people just like you and begin a resurrection path. What is it you are going to do with this miracle invitation to begin telling your truth, holy Christ! Let us pray!